Remembering Robert H. Jones - August 20, 2008
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It is with sadness that Harbour Publishing remembers Robert H. Jones, who passed away on August 18, 2008, at the age of 72. Bob was the co-author (with Larry E. Stefanyk) of three books with Harbour: Island Fly Fisherman, Island Halibut Fisherman and Island Salmon Fisherman. A resident of Courtenay, BC, Bob was also the editor of Island Fisherman Magazine and a recipient of the Outdoor Writers of Canada’s Jack Davis Mentor's Award and the Pete McGillen Award. He leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Vera Jones, and his children, Karen and Robert.
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Harbour Publishing Congratulates Maritime Historian Barry Gough - Friday, August 15, 2008
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 The Canadian Nautical Research Society's Keith Matthews Award has awarded Victoria writer Dr. Barry Gough an honourable mention for his newest work, Fortune’s a River: The Collision of Empires in Northwest America (Harbour Publishing).
The Awards Committee Chair of the Canadian Nautical Research Society, Dr. Serge Durflinger had this to say about the book, “Fortune’s a River is a wonderfully written, impressively researched account of a complex topic of major historiographical importance. Using the coveted Columbia River watershed as the basis of his study, Gough richly details early nineteenth-century US expansionism in the Pacific Northwest and deftly places the related hotly contested international territorial rivalry in sweeping geostrategic and commercial contexts. In challenging popular misconceptions of the famed Lewis and Clark expeditions, Gough offers compelling approaches to state formation and the origins of Anglo-American co-habitation in North America. Fortune’s a River is a quick-flowing, expertly interwoven collage of exploration, settlement, trade, entrepreneurship, biography, and international relations.”
Gough was the founding director of Canadian Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. As the author of ten previous books, he has been called the “foremost expositor of BC nautical history.”
The Keith Matthews Award is given to the best publication on maritime history, and is named for Professor Keith Matthews, the first president of what became the Canadian Nautical Research Society.
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Jean Barman and Premier Campbell Celebrate BC Day with the Official Book! - August 11, 2008
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 Award-winning author and historian Jean Barman was joined by Gordon Campbell on BC Day in a book-signing event for Jean's new book, British Columbia: Spirit of the People, as part of the Festival 150 celebrations on the Victoria Legislature Lawn.
2008 marks the sesquicentennial anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. To celebrate 150 years of cultural diversity and heritage, the BC government commissioned Harbour Publishing to produce this commemorative coffee-table book, which explores the history of BC’s ten diverse regions.
The text of British Columbia: Spirit of the People, by Barman, is ambitious in scope. Barman delves into BC’s history and geography as she explores the province, region-by-region. The book looks at the different geographical areas, with sections devoted to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, the Okanagan/Boundary, the Southern Interior, West and East Kootenay, the Central Coast, the Northwest, the Central Interior and the Northeast. From the large stretches of open range and grassland of the Southern Interior, to the rugged geography of the Kootenays and Coast Mountains, to the verdant beauty of the Gulf Islands and the excitement of the province’s cities and communities, each of BC’s geographic regions offer unique local characteristics and cultural flavour.
Like the province of British Columbia, with its remarkable history, characters, places and achievements, British Columbia: Spirit of the People is a remarkable book and an important addition to the library of every British Columbian.
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Gillian Wigmore wins the ReLit Award! - July 28, 2008
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 Caitlin Press congratulates Gillian Wigmore, whose first poetry collection, Soft Geography, has won the 8th Annual ReLit Award!
“Wigmore is a fresh and powerful voice for BC North,” says publisher Vici Johnstone. “We are confident that the success of Soft Geography is just the beginning for this exciting new author.”
Gillian says she is “amazed and delighted to have won” and adds, “I'm so glad that Soft Geography, which is kind of a love song for north central BC, will reach a bigger Canadian audience than I'd even hoped for.”
The ReLit Awards, short for Regarding Literature, Reinventing Literature, Relighting Literature, were founded in 2000 and emphasize the importance of ideas over big-money prizes. The winners will be celebrated at a special ReLit event during the Ottawa Writer's festival on October 26. Winners receive the ReLit Ring, which features four moveable dials, each one struck with the entire alphabet.
According to The Globe & Mail the Relit Award is “the country’s pre-eminent literary prize recognizing independent presses.”
The other 2008 winners are Roberta Rees for short fiction piece Long After Fathers, and Gil Adamson for his novel The Outlander.
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The 5th Annual City of Victoria Butler Book Prize - June 27, 2008
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 Congratulations to the authors who were recently longlisted for the Victoria Butler Book Prize!
Harbour's nominees include non-fiction writers David Spalding, Enchanted Isles: The Southern Gulf Islands (photographs by Kevin Oke), Arthur Black, Black to the Grindstone, Barry Gough, Fortune's a River: The Collision of Empires in Northwest America, and poet Patrick Lane, Last Water Song.
“Formal recognition of the many writers in the community is important,” said Mary Virtue, President of the Victoria Book Prize Society. “These awards focus on the best we have to offer and increases public exposure for all submissions through critical attention from readers and the media.”
Finalists will be announced in late August and showcased at a gala event on October 15, 2008 at the Union Club of British Columbia.
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